132 H. TRIMEN—HERMANN’S CEYLON HERBARIUM 
cessor, compiled his ‘Thesaurus Zeylanicus’*. This book was 
published in 1737 with 110 well-drawn plates containing nume- 
rous figures, and is systematically quoted by Linnzus throughout 
the ‘Flora Zeylanica’t. Hermann also sent specimens to other 
botanists of the time, especially to Gronovius, from whose her- 
barium there are several of Hermann's plants in the Banksian 
collection. 
The specimens, considering their age and the vicissitudes the 
Collection has sustained, are in very fair condition ; and in the 
few cases where identification is uncertain, this arises more 
from the material being originally scanty or imperfect than 
from any deterioration since its collection. 
A considerable proportion of the plants (about fifty) are 
exotics, and gathered doubtless from gardens. It is of interest 
to see at what an early date many of these were already common 
in Ceylon. Most are of course Old-World plants; but a dozen 
or more are of American origin, as the Custard-Apple, Guava, 
Cashew-nut, Capsicum, and Cotton. 
But besides these cultivated exotics, the list will be found to 
contain two or three species from the Cape. These are erro- 
neous inclusions; but the explanation of them is very simple. 
Hermann called at the Cape, as was usual, on his voyage out, 
and spent a few days there collecting. The plants gathered 
there were kept out of the first three volumes of the herbarium, 
which were no doubt prepared by Hermann himself; but the 
maker of the fourth volume pasted in Ceylon and Cape plants 
indiscriminately ; and they are mixed up even on the same folios. 
Linnsus was fully aware of this (see preface to ‘FI. Zeylan.’ 
p- 18), and has omitted all notice of the Cape specimens with the 
exception of two (see nos. 41 and 307), which he evidently sup- 
posed to be from Ceylon. It is only surprising that he avoided 
the inclusion of more. 
It will be found that a few changes of name will be necessitated 
by this re-examination of the Linnean types in this Collection. It 
must be confessed that Linneus has rendered some of his species 
obscure by erroneous synonymy; in working out the ‘Flora 
Zeylanica' he evidently endeavoured to embody as much as pos- 
* Bee Preface to that book. 
t Linnsus had assisted Burman in the preparation of this book when his 
guest at Amsterdam in 1736. 
